Hilltop National Bank Has $239,000 Holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Hilltop National Bank cut its stake in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,218 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 118 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank’s holdings in Duke Energy were worth $239,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Duke Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Duke Energy by 82.7% during the 3rd quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. 65.31% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on DUK shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $122.00 to $118.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $120.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $122.23.

Duke Energy Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of DUK stock opened at $105.93 on Friday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $90.09 and a 12-month high of $121.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $111.00 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.62. The company has a market capitalization of $81.83 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.73 by ($0.11). Duke Energy had a return on equity of 9.34% and a net margin of 14.31%. The business had revenue of $8.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.06 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.94 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $1.045 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.95%. Duke Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 76.84%.

Duke Energy Company Profile

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.